El Salvador has signed a trade agreement with the U.S., announced El Salvador’s ambassador to the U.S., Milena Mayorga, on Thursday, though she did not provide further details on the deal’s contents.
In a statement last November, the US embassy said it was working on a reciprocal trade deal with the Central American nation under which El Salvador would address “non-tariff” barriers, including simplifying regulation for US imports, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
This included accepting US standards for US vehicle safety, motor emissions, medical devices and pharmaceuticals, it said in a statement, adding that El Salvador also committed to easing rules regarding agricultural imports, including less restrictions for US cheese and meats.
The US, meanwhile, would remove tariffs on some Salvadoran imports such as clothes and goods not produced in sufficient quantities within the US, the embassy said in November.
El Salvador already has provisions for free trade with the US along with much of Central America and the Dominican Republic under the CAFTA-DR trade pact.
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele posted a photo of delegates from both countries holding signed documents, saying this marked “the first reciprocal trade agreement in the entire western hemisphere.”
The western hemisphere has long counted a number of free trade pacts.
Separately on Thursday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum held a call with US President Donald Trump, during which she said they had discussed progress on the review of the USMCA free trade pact with the two nations and Canada.
